MOTION OF A CLASSICAL POLARON IN A DC ELECTRIC-FIELD

The motion of the classical polaron in a dc electric field is investigated numerically. In a limited range of parameters (field and coupling constant) a stable stationary asymptotic drift of the electron with a constant velocity is shown to exist. Outside this range of parameters the electron is asymptotically accelerated by the field, like a free charge. This model is an illustration of the dissipative behavior of a classical mechanical subsystem coupled to a mechanical system with an infinite number of degrees of freedom (here the classical LO phonon field).